Jennifer Stone, an alum of Disney Channel’s “Wizards of Waverly Place” and current nurse, shared she auditioned for HBO Max’s “The Pitt,” but had a physical reaction to the script.

During a Monday appearance on the “CHEERS! with Avery” podcast, the former Disney Channel star reflected on almost landing a part on the Noah Wyle-led medical drama, confessing she used to work on her lines while at her nursing job.

“I auditioned for one of like the series regulars for ‘The Pitt’ when that first came out,” Stone recalled. “At the end of the pilot episode, the Noah Wyle character, he’s having like COVID flashbacks. As I often do, I was reading the script and like, working on lines while we were waiting for a patient to get admitted or something like that. Kind of in those brief little, you know, pockets of time that you have. So I was working on the lines and reading the script at work and it got to those last few pages and … I started having a panic attack.”

She added: “Even, like, just hearing about that, I started having like the heavy breathing and I started having to do like the, ‘Okay this is the floor. That’s a table.’ I started having to like talk myself down ’cause it’s still back there you, know?”

Elsewhere in the interview, Stone confessed that she has a “hard time” watching “The Pitt” as “it’s too close to home a little bit.” Though, she admitted that she’s a big fan of “Grey’s Anatomy,” adding, “Like, the first two seasons, I played on repeat during nursing school because it also helped me get the lingo down, right? Because it is a different language.”

“There is more of a fantasy aspect to that show than there is on something like ‘The Pitt,’” she explained on her preference for “Grey’s” over “The Pitt.” “And more of an entertainment value.”

Nonetheless, Stone applauded “The Pitt” for sparking conversations between healthcare workers and their loved ones.

Watch Stone’s commentary above.

While Stone currently works as a registered nurse in the emergency room, she rose to fame starring opposite Selena Gomez on “Wizards of Waverly Place” between 2007 and 2012. She later reprised her role of Harper Finkle in the final season of the sequel series, titled “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.”

Jimmy Fallon found himself with the case of the giggles in the middle of his “Tonight Show” monologue, but not over one of his jokes. Rather, the late night host struggled to keep a straight face after a member of his studio audience loudly reacted to the news of Karoline Leavitt’s resignation.

“Some more big news today, Trump announced that Karoline Leavitt is resigning as White House press secretary,” Fallon noted during his opening address. However, before he could move on to the next beat in his joke, an audience member audibly cheered in the distance – prompting others to get in on the celebration. (Though, a few others notably groaned at the monologue interruption.)

Fallon took the loud reaction in stride, laughing at the unexpected moment for a few beats before regaining his composure and getting the monologue back on track.

“That story again, Karoline Leavitt was definitely one of the staffers left on Air Force One. ‘Oh, really, you didn’t take me?!’” Fallon quipped, referencing Trump being covertly moved to a second plane when leaving the NATO summit in Turkey over an Iran missile threat (subsequently leaving press and his own staff to be decoys).

“Apparently, she’s moving on to an easier job, working as the press secretary for Taylor Farms Lettuce,” Fallon said, calling back to the cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to the food producer.

Watch the moment for yourself below.

Fallon’s jokes came mere hours after President Donald Trump took to Truth Social and shared that Leavitt was set to step down as White House press secretary.

“Our wonderful White House Press Secretary, and one of my most trusted aides, Karoline Leavitt, will be departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect!” Trump wrote on Wednesday.

He also confirmed that Leavitt would stay on “as one of my TOP outside Advisors, and will remain an influential voice within the Republican Party as we head into the Midterms.”

In her own statement, Leavitt said being the press secretary had been “the honor and adventure of a lifetime.”

“Most of all, I am thankful to the President for entrusting me with the distinct privilege of speaking on his behalf at the White House podium,” she added. “I have spoken with great pride about the many historic accomplishments of this Administration, and I have relished holding the liberal media accountable and ensuring the American people hear the truth about President Trump’s successes.”

You can read her full statement here.

“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on NBC.

The Zurich Film Festival has announced its first selection of gala titles for this year’s edition, which runs September 9 to October 10. 

Films include the European premiere of Peter Farrelly’s I Play Rocky, starring Anthony Ippolito as Sylvester Stallone, Matt Dillon, Stephan James and more as well as Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan starrer Josephine from director Beth de Araújo. 

I Play Rocky follows unknown actor Stallone, who is writing a screenplay title Rocky that a studio is desperate to acquire. But Stallone refuses to sell the rights – unless he gets to play the lead himself. Despite numerous setbacks and rejections he remains determined to make his dream a reality: playing Rocky Balboa. 

Josephine follows 8-year old Josephine who witnesses a violent crime and her world is out of joint as she tries to find a way to regain a sense of security. Her emphatic mother (Chan) wants to help her process what happened while her father (Tatum) believes in preparing her for the harsher realities of life, but increasingly finds himself overwhelmed with by the situation. 

Further titles include German productions Love, After All by Andreas Dresen and How Can I Help from Doris Dörrie, both of which will world premiere in Zurich. 

Here’s the full list: 

I PLAY ROCKY

European Premiere

Biography
USA, 2026
Director: Peter Farrelly
Cast: Anthony Ippolito, Matt Dillon, Stephan James, AnnaSophia Robb, PJ Byrne, Toby Kebbell, Tracy Letts, Jay Duplass

JOSEPHINE

Drama 
USA, 2026 
Director: Beth de Araújo 
Cast: Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, Mason Lily Reeves 

111 – ECHOES FROM HALIFAX

European Premiere
Drama 
Switzerland, Canada, 2026 
Director: Mauro Mueller 
Cast: Ursina Lardi, Kris Holden-Ried, Djebril Zonga, Fathia Youssouf, Natalie Brown 

On September 2, 1998, the crash of Swissair Flight 111 off Halifax changes the lives of many people forever: relatives struggle for certainty about their loved ones, helpers try to offer comfort, and the residents of the Canadian coast are confronted with the traces of tragedy. As time passes and questions remain unanswered, the film shows how grief connects, relationships change, and new perspectives emerge.

COMPANY 

Mystery 
Canada, USA, UAE, 2026 
Director: Casey Affleck 
Cast: Nick Nolte, Ben Mendelsohn, Adelaide Clemens, Scoot McNairy, Emily Alyn Lind, Caylee Cowan 

On a winter night in 1975, a mysterious woman named Evelyn arrives uninvited at a holiday gathering and tells the story of Tom, an aging hermit who rescues a stranded actress during a Colorado blizzard in 1953. To pass the night, the actress recounts an older tale of a farming couple who take in a troubled young drifter as a series of grisly murders spreads fear across the frontier. As the stories intertwine across generations, COMPANY becomes a meditation on grief, vengeance, forgiveness, and the quiet acts of compassion that can heal even the deepest wounds.

POSSIBLE LOVE 

Drama 
South Korea, 2026
Director: Lee Chang-dong 
Cast: Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Zo In-sung, Cho Yeo-jeong 

Possible Love follows the intertwined relationship of two married couples facing different paths and hidden desires. Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon) lives quietly with her laid-off husband Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu) and their young son Cheol until a 
funeral brings them into the orbit of Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong), a documentary filmmaker chronicling laid-off workers, and her husband Sang-woo (Zo In-sung) – a couple whose affluent lifestyle stands in sharp contrast to their own. When Mi-ok agrees to be filmed, she grows close to Ye-ji, and finds herself uneasily drawn to the unreadable Sang-woo. As their worlds collide, fractures begin to appear in their daily existence. 

LOVE, AFTER ALL

World Premiere
Tragicomedy
Germany, 2026 
Director: Andreas Dresen 
Cast: Dagmar Manzel, Joachim Król 

Lore (Dagmar Manzel) and Harry (Joachim Król) have been married for nearly 40 years and there is rarely a moment of silence between them. Old stories, missed chances and the uncertainties of retirement fuel heated discussions. Lore is afraid of growing old and bitter in the garden alongside Harry while he longs for stability and peace. There is only one thing they agree on: Their daughter Gloria has little luck in love. Now, she wants to get married for the third time – this time to a wealthy man who is almost the same age as Harry.

IT WILL HAPPEN TONIGHT
Romance

Italy, France, Spain, 2026
Director: Nanni Moretti
Cast: Louis Garrel, Jasmine Trinca, Hippolyte Girardot, Angela Finocchiaro, Melina Åkerman Kvie, Elena Lietti, Andrea Lattanzi, Antonio De Matteo, Nanni Moretti

I’ll wait for you, for as long as you want me to. But will it ever happen?

BURGUNDY 

Documentary
France, 2026
Director: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw
Cast: Enzo Ferraroli, Céleste Kalis, Eric Goettelmann, Patrick Maniere, Guillaume Baroin, Bertrand Devillard

Burgundy is one of the world’s most famous wine regions. Through the eyes of novices in hospitality and viticulture, BURGUNDY offers a fascinating glimpse into its unique wine culture, where time-honored traditions live on in rituals centered on luxury and indulgence. Blending documentary and fictional elements, directors Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw pay homage to the remarkable and charming people whose zest for life shapes and preserves this unique region and its centuries-old culture.

HOW CAN I HELP?

World Premiere
Drama/Comedy
Germany, 2026
Director: Doris Dörrie
Cast: Angela Winkler, Laura Tonke, Josef Ellers, Via Jikeli, Eugene Boateng, Zoë Baier

Mrs. Winkler has a fall and becomes a nursing case. Her daughter, overwhelmed by her needs, hires a care robot. After some initial resistance, Mrs. Winkler grows quite fond of him. He takes perfect care of her and keeps her entertained – except that he is also supposed to kill her in case her condition deteriorates further.

THE HAMMER 

World Premiere
Documentary 
France, USA, 2026 
Director: Simon Wallon 
Cast: Simon de Pury, Jeff Koons, Marina Abramović, Chloe Wise, Lou Zhenggang

A documentary portrait of famed auctioneer Simon de Pury, whose career saw him leading auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Phillips, being the curator of major world collections, an artist, even a DJ, and always being an unavoidable personality “the Mick Jagger of auctions” takes us behind the curtain of the extravagant art market.